Stephanie Blackmon

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Tracee Ellis Ross: A Goddess

Tracee Ellis Ross. Let me repeat that for the people in the back, okay?

I said, TRACEE. ELLIS. ROSS. This woman needs no introduction, but I’m obviously going to give you one anyway.

Born Tracee Joy Silberstein on October 29, 1972 in Los Angeles, CA, she was welcomed into the world by her parents, Robert Ellis Silberstein and THEE Diana Ross.

She attended and and graduated from Brown University with a theatre degree, before working in the fashion industry as a model and contributing fashion editor for Mirabella and New York magazines.

Tracee debuted on film in 1996 the independent film “Far Harbor,” where she played a Jewish/African American woman. She then was a host on “The Dish,” a Lifetime network TV magazine series on pop culture (that I completely forgot about!), the made for TV movie “Race Against Fear: A Moment of Truth,” an independent film called “Sue,” and her first major studio role, “Hanging Up” which featured Diane Keaton, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow.

In 2000 she landed the lead role in a true hit show: “Girlfriends.” She played a successful attorney named Joan Clayton navigated through life with her three best friends (and William), looking for love, adventures and overcoming obstacles. She won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in 2007 and a second award for her role in 2009. The show came to an end in 2008 after being canceled.

After “Girlfriends”, Tracee appeared in a number of things, including the movie “Life Support,” alongside her brother, Evan Ross, and Queen Latifah (another legend, but that’s a post for another day) Tyler Perry’s “Daddy’s Little Girls,” “Labor Pains,” an episode of “Private Practice” as a pregnant doctor, four episodes of “CSI” as Laurence Fishburne’s character’s estranged wife, the Lifetime movie “Five,” and a sitcom called “Reed Between the Lines” with Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

Today, Tracee can be found on the ABC show, Black-ish, opposite Anthony Anderson where she plays Dr. Rainbow Johnson. For this role, she’s won a Golden Globe Award, three NAACP Image Awards, two Critics’ Choice Award nominations and two Primetime Emmy Award noms. Tracee can also be found brightening up ya Instagram serving absolute lewks, sharing some of her workouts, and just showing us the good times she’s having in life.